Take The Rain Away
by redhedqt
Summary: Miranda Sanchez is eyebrow deep in battling her own personal demons. With only one person she can trust or depend on, will he feel the same way when she tells him how she really feels?
1. Chapter One: Secret

Chapter 1: Secret  
  
"Oh, so it's okay for you to go buy a new power tool whenever you feel like it, but not okay for me to spend forty dollars on a haircut, Edward?" Daniella Sanchez yelled.  
  
"Por favor, Angelita! Don't yell the kids can hear you!" Edward said, trying to calm his wife.  
  
"Do you think I care right now?"  
  
Miranda Sanchez groaned and threw her pillow over her face. Her screeching alarm clock coupled with her parents yelling at each other was NOT something she enjoyed waking up to every day. Sighing, she threw the covers off of her and climbed out of bed, nearly tripping over her pile of textbooks as she did so. She groaned. Her Science paper. She forgot about it. Oh well, maybe Gordo would let her copy his. She mulled through her closet trying to find something to wear, finally deciding on a red sweater, a black and white chekered skirt, black tights, and black converse sneakers. She braided a few strands of her longish black hair and threw a red sideways visor on for good measure. Finally she threw on some lipgloss and stuffed her books into her backpack and ran downstairs.  
  
"Morning." she said, throwing her bag in the floor.  
  
Daniella Sanchez looked her daughter over and raised her eyebrows. "Mija, must you dress like it's the 1980's every day?"  
  
Miranda shrugged. "The 80's were cool."  
  
"How do you know? You missed most of it." Edward said. "Hurry up, I'm going to be late for work."  
  
"Don't want to miss your boss strutting around with her newly implanted breasts, do you?" Daniella glared at her husband.   
  
Rolling his eyes, Edward turned to Miranda. "Let's go, querido."  
  
"Coming, Dad. Bye Mom."  
  
"Bye mija! Have a good day at school, don't get into trouble!"  
  
"Yes, mom." Miranda said with a roll of her eyes.   
  
It was another day at the Sanchez house.  
  
***  
  
"Okay, so how come Kate Sanders dresses like she's 30 and she can still pull it off without looking like a weirdo?" Lizzie McGuire asked as she leaned against the lockers.  
  
David "Gordo" Gordon pulled his head out of his locker and looked at her. "Because she looks like she's 30?"  
  
"So what?" Lizzie harrumphed. "Okay, so she's tall, and pretty, and has huge breasts..."  
  
"She's too tall, she's not that pretty, and by the time she really IS thirty she'll be begging for a reduction." Gordo replied. "Lizzie, what's your deal today?"  
  
Lizzie looked down at herself and frowned. "Did I mention how thin she is?"  
  
"Oh here we go." Gordo groaned. "Lizzie, you look fine!"  
  
"Fine? Look at me! I'm too short, I'm chubby, my hair is too thin and limp, and..."  
  
"And...what?" Gordo asked. Before he tried to make her feel better, he may as well drag it all outta her first.  
  
"I'm...flat chested."  
  
"You're fourteen! You're not seriously expecting to look like Pamela Anderson right now, are you?"  
  
"It would be nice." Lizzie replied.  
  
"And humanly impossible. Lizzie, you're taller than me. You're not fat, your hair is fine, you look good, okay? Can we drop it?"  
  
"You are such a guy sometimes." Lizzie said. "Oblivious to everything."  
  
"And you're such a girl sometimes!" Gordo shot back. "You pick and pick and pick until you pick it to death!"  
  
Lizzie shrugged. "I am a girl."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes. "Oy. Hey Miranda!" Gordo said, glad to be relieved from the current conversation. If he had to hear one more rant about Lizzie's nose he would shoot himself in the face.  
  
"Hey guys." Miranda said, opening her locker. "I swear, can I move in with one of you?"  
  
"Why?" Lizzie asked. "Parents still at each other's throats?"  
  
"Yup. Today it was...let's see. Power tools. Hairdressers. Oh yeah, and implants."  
  
Gordo almost spit out the juice he was drinking. "Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but, I'm the guy, I think I should be the one talking about breasts and implants and Pamela Anderson and all that...stop taking away my duties!!!"  
  
"Pamela Anderson?" Miranda asked quizzically.  
  
"Don't ask." Lizzie said with a roll of her eyes. "So what happened?"  
  
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Oh, but I did learn a new swear word in Spanish!" Miranda said.  
  
"Now you can swear at the migrant farm workers. Good job." Gordo said sarcastically.  
  
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Gordo, lemme see your Science homework."  
  
"No way. After the incident with Lizzie and the science project, if Mr. Pettus catches me cheating again, I'm toast." Gordo replied. "Anyway, I have to go return this book to the library before it's overdue."  
  
"Like you don't have ten cents to spare?" Lizzie asked. Gordo shrugged.  
  
"See you guys in English." he replied, jetting off to the library.  
  
As Miranda grabbed Lizzie's Science homework and began to copy it fervently, Lizzie sighed and leaned against the locker as Ethan Craft walked by. "He looks so good in blue, don't you think? I love when he wears blue."  
  
Miranda groaned. "Lizzie, why don't you just TELL HIM you like him?"  
  
"No! Are you crazy? He'd...I'd...it'd just be...BAD!"  
  
"Chill, drama queen. Besides, from the way his eyes just seemed to naturally drift towards your...ahem...yesterday when you dropped your pencil, I don't think he'd mind all that much."  
  
"Miranda! He was not! I was wearing really cool jeans yesterday, the embroidery on the pockets was really interesting."  
  
"Oh yes, we all know how Ethan Craft is SO fashion concious, he simply had to check out your jeans." Miranda said in a more "official" sounding voice. "Lizzie, come off it."  
  
"Well, he could have!!!"   
  
"Lizzie, my guess is that he wasn't all that interested in the jeans, but what was BEHIND the jeans, if you catch my drift."  
  
"Miranda!" Lizzie said, blushing. They walked past Claire Miller, who was currently examing her flawless skin in her locker mirror. Lizzie sighed. "Why can't I look like her? I bet he would like me then."  
  
"For starters? Your parents are white, so you can't look like Claire. Secondly, he likes you!"  
  
"He does not." Lizzie replied.  
  
"He does! He loves you and he wants to have ten thousand of your babies."  
  
"Miranda, that doesn't make any sense." Lizzie said.  
  
"Yeah? Well, neither does anything else in my life." Miranda said with a roll of her eyes, walking into English class.  
  
Miranda had almost fallen asleep sitting up when she felt a note hit her shoulder. She grabbed it before the teacher could see it and opened it up. She recognized it as Ethan's handwriting.  
  
'I need a favor.'  
  
Oh, here we go. Miranda thought. 'Tell me what it is and I'll consider it.' she wrote back. She put it on the floor and slid it over to Ethan with her shoe. Ethan picked it up and scribbled something on it, then passed it back to Miranda.  
  
'I need you to talk to Lizzie for me.'  
  
Miranda tried not to grin. This was gonna be fun. Ethan was cool and all, but it was quite fun to annoy the hell out of him from time to time, keep him on his toes.  
  
'About what?'  
  
'You're a really bad actor, even on paper, you know that? I need you to talk to her about ME.'  
  
'I talk to her quite a bit about you. Anything special?'  
  
'Knock it off! You know what!'  
  
'I know. I'm just messing with you. What do you want me to say/find out/etc...?'  
  
'Find out what she thinks about me.'  
  
'Oh, I can tell you what she thinks about you right now. No middle man needed.'  
  
'You can? What?'  
  
'Ask her out.'  
  
'That's what she thinks of me?'  
  
'Just do what I say. Ask her out. You won't be sorry.'  
  
'Okay, I will.'  
  
And my work here is done. Miranda thought with a smile.  
  
Later, at lunch, while Miranda was in the lunch line, she was nearly knocked over by Lizzie.  
  
"Miranda! Miranda! Miranda! Oh my god!"  
  
"Breathe, Lizzie." Miranda said with a laugh as she paid for her lunch.  
  
"He asked me out!!!" Lizzie said.  
  
"Ethan?"  
  
"Yes, Ethan! Can you believe it?"  
  
Miranda tried not to laugh. "Wow. That's...great, Lizzie. So when are you going out?"  
  
"Friday night." Lizzie said with a grin. Miranda's face fell.  
  
"Wait, I thought we were going to go see the new Ben Affleck movie on Friday night." There was NO WAY she wanted to sit around Friday night listening to her mom complain about her dad.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about that. Miranda, you know I would never cancel on you, but..."  
  
Miranda held up her hand. "I know. It's okay. I'll just...call my cousin Rosa and we hang out Friday night."  
  
"Wait, isn't she the seventeen year old with the tattoo and the ashtray for a backseat?"  
  
"That be her. It's not like I have anything better to do." Miranda said as they sat down at the table.  
  
"You could...organize your closet." Lizzie suggested.  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm a lean mean organizing machine." Miranda said, rolling her eyes.   
  
"Hey guys." Gordo said, sitting down at the table.  
  
"Hey Gordo." Miranda said.   
  
"Hey." Gordo said before digging into his lunch.  
  
Lizzie looked at Gordo. "Gordo, Miranda was just talking about spending Friday night with her cousin Rosa."  
  
"Rosa the Unibrow?"  
  
"Gordo!" Miranda and Lizzie exclaimed.  
  
"What?" Gordo said. "She has a unibrow!"  
  
"Gordo! Her beauty methods aren't the main concern right now." Lizzie said.  
  
"Then what it is?" Gordo asked.  
  
Lizzie sighed. "You are such a guy."  
  
"Ahframuhgoh!" Gordo mumbled, his mouth filled with sandwich.  
  
"What?"   
  
Gordo swallowed. "I said, I am a guy."  
  
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Anyway. Lizzie, Rosa's not that bad."  
  
"She drinks and she smokes, how else would you classify her?"  
  
"A rebel?"   
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, ok."  
  
***  
  
Miranda slammed her front door shut and began to run up the steps.  
  
"Mija come in here!"   
  
"Do we have to tell her now?" Edward said in a low voice.  
  
"She needs to know, Edward." Daniella said.  
  
"I need to know what?" Miranda asked, walking into the kitchen.  
  
"Mija, your father and I..."  
  
"She just got home from school do we need to tell her now???"  
  
"No, tell me." Miranda said.  
  
"Your father and I have decided to seperate, mija." Daniella said.  
  
Miranda stood there in shock. "What?"  
  
"Now, this is not divorce, mija, it's simply..."  
  
"Not divorce? Give me a break! It's step one of divorce!"  
  
"Mija calm down!"  
  
"Calm down? Calm down? I will not calm down! I...god. Just leave me alone!" Miranda said, tears streaming down her face. Turning on her heel, she ran up the steps and slammed her door shut.   
  
"Well that went well." Edward said.  
  
"You're not helping." Danielle said, glaring at her husband.  
  
"And neither are you! If it weren't for you, this wouldn't have happened!"  
  
As Miranda's parents continued to yell, she pulled clothes out of her dresser and shoved them into her bag. Pulling the huge wad of cash out of her sock drawer she had been saving up to buy a new leather jacket, she stuffed it in the front pocket of her bookbag. She cranked her radio up and locked her door. Then, opening her window, she climbed down the tree next to her window and took off down the street.  
  
School. Parents. She just couldn't handle it anymore.   
  
She came to Gordo's house and checked for cars. Good, his parents weren't home. Walking down the sidewalk, she knocked on the door.  
  
"Miranda. Hey, what's up?" Gordo said. He took a second look at her. "Miranda, are you...why are you crying?"  
  
"Gordo, I was wondering...maybe...if you wouldn't mind..."  
  
Gordo saw the bag she was carrying and sighed. "Yeah. Come on in." Gordo said. He took the bag from her and they walked upstairs to his room. Throwing it on his bed, he turned to her. "Alright, what's going on?"  
  
"My parents. School. Everything." Miranda said before bursting into tears again.  
  
"Shh. Don't cry." Gordo said, hugging her. "It's alright."  
  
"Okay if I crash here for awhile? I just need to take a break."  
  
"It's fine with me. But you know you gotta stay in here, cuz if my parents catch you..."  
  
"I know." Miranda said. She sat down on the bed. "They'd throw me out in a hurry."  
  
Gordo grinned at her. "First they'd analyze you to death."  
  
"Oh, the horror." Miranda said with a laugh.   
  
"Just chill here, I'll go get us something to drink and some food. Be right back."  
  
"Okay." Miranda nodded.  
  
Miranda laid back on Gordo's bed and stared at the ceiling. It was good to have someone she could count on like that.   
  
Even if he'd never know how she really felt about him. 


	2. Chapter Two: More

Chapter 2: More  
  
"I still can't believe Miranda ran away like that!" Lizzie said. "I'm really worried about her! I mean, on the streets?"  
  
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Lizzie." Gordo said.  
  
"You think so?" Lizzie asked, biting her bottom lip.  
  
"Yeah, I do. She'll be alright."  
  
"I hope so." Lizzie said before the bell rang.  
  
Mr. Dig walked into class. "Okay, take your seats please. I'm sure by now you've all heard about Miss Sanchez."  
  
"I heard she was kidnapped." Claire Miller said.  
  
"I bet she was abducted by aliens." Larry Tudgeman said. The entire class looked at him strangely.  
  
"Abducted?" Gordo asked.  
  
"It happens!" Larry said indignantly.  
  
"Larry, the chances of Miranda being abducted by aliens are about as good as Mariah Carey winning an Oscar for Glitter." Gordo replied.  
  
"Besides, you only hear of alien abductions happening in like....Texas." Lizzie said.  
  
"When you really think about it, why would aliens want to take us anyway?" Gordo said.  
  
"To do experiments! Where have you been Gordo?" Larry asked.  
  
"I hate to break it to you Tudgeman, but, we're the Alabama of the universe." Gordo replied.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Larry asked.  
  
"Nevermind." Gordo said with a roll of his eyes.  
  
Lizzie watched Gordo carefully, her eyebrows furrowing. Shouldn't he be more worried about Miranda?  
  
At lunch, Lizzie was silent, watching Gordo eat his lunch just as quietly. Finally he sighed and looked up. "Okay, what's up with you today? You've got the personality of a wet mop."  
  
"I just think it's weird how you're not even worried about Miranda. Gordo, she's missing!"  
  
"Lizzie, she's Miranda. She's a resilient girl. She'll be fine." Gordo said breezily.  
  
Lizzie stared at him. "You know what? For you to be such a good friend, you sure don't care much about her!" she stood up. "I need to go find Ethan. Later."  
  
Gordo sighed. So Lizzie was mad at him. Nothing new. He hated lying to her, but as he and Miranda both knew, if either one of them had any sort of scheme going on, telling Lizzie was the quickest way to get it discovered.   
  
He chuckled as he thought back to all the stunts he and Miranda had pulled around each other, with one or the other quick to add "Don't tell Lizzie!" Sneaking into movies without paying. Miranda taking back a shirt she had spilled something on and claiming she had bought it that way and hadn't noticed the stain. And trying cigarettes for the first time. Gordo couldn't help but laugh aloud at that one. He and Miranda were 12, and Gordo had swiped them from his cousin's car. Just one. Not enough for him to notice. They thought they were being so slick. As it turned out, both of them could've done without it. Gordo still believed to this day that he had coughed up one of his lungs. His thoughts headed back to Lizzie and he frowned.  
  
They had never included Lizzie in most of their schemes for one reason and one reason only: Lizzie couldn't lie. Miranda had found that out the hard way with the bra scheme in seventh grade, and Gordo had found that out through other various conspiracies they had tried to pull. One conundrum after another, that was what you got when you trusted Lizzie McGuire to keep her mouth shut about something they were trying to pull. So they had basically just learned that when things went wrong, it was best to keep Lizzie out of the loop, no matter how much it had upset her.  
  
Gordo sighed. He would let Miranda crash at his place for one more night, maybe two. He made a mental note to talk to her about it when he got home from school. Her parents were probably freaking out, and if she was gone for much longer, they'd most likely call the cops. That was where Gordo would put his foot down. He was down for most of Miranda's crazy ideas, but lawbreaking wasn't one of them. Still, Miranda and he had been through a lot together over the past two years, and he'd do anything to help a friend. He knew she was going through hell right now. He just didn't know how to help her.  
  
Gordo unlocked the front door and walked inside. Setting his bookbag down, he made his way up the steps. "Hey, Miranda, I'm..."  
  
"Get out get out get out!!!!" Miranda screamed, pulling her shirt up to cover herself. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking???"  
  
Gordo's mouth dropped open. "I...uh..."  
  
"Get out!!" Miranda yelled, throwing a shoe at him.  
  
"I'm sorry! Sorry sorry sorry!" Gordo said as he backed out of the room. He shut the door and leaned against it. "Oh boy." he said, finally giving himself permission to breathe. He thought about what he had just seen. He supposed Miranda had always had a nice body, he had just never really thought about it. But now? Oh boy. Just when had....those popped up? He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, trying to shake the thoughts out of his head.  
  
Back in Gordo's bedroom, Miranda was silently freaking out.   
  
Oh my god. How much did he see? What did he think? Oh god. I can never look at him in the eyes again! I can't stay in here forever, I mean I can't lock him out of his own room, she thought. She pulled her shirt over her head and finished zipping up her jeans. I guess I should go back out there.  
  
She slowly opened the door. "Gordo?"  
  
"Miranda, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."  
  
Miranda cut him off. "It's fine. Just...do me a favor?"  
  
"Sure, what is it?" Gordo asked.  
  
"Don't ever bring it up again?"  
  
"Gladly." Gordo said with a sigh.   
  
"So what did Lizzie have to say about me running away?" Miranda asked as she sat down on Gordo's bed.  
  
"In typical Lizzie fashion, she was freaking out." Gordo said. "She's kinda pissed at me because I wasn't freaking out."  
  
"Gordo you never freak out. I could actually BE missing and you probably still wouldn't freak out." Miranda said.  
  
"Hey that's not true. I freak out sometimes...I'm just not as verbal about it as you and Lizzie are." Gordo replied as he flopped down onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. He rolled over on his side and looked at her. "And I would freak out if you were missing."  
  
"Really?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Of course I would. You're my friend." Gordo said. "I mean, don't get me wrong and all, Lizzie's fun to hang around with and all, but..."  
  
"But what?" Miranda asked.  
  
"It's like the worst thing that could possibly happen to her is Kate Sanders telling her her shoes are out of fashion, or finding out Ethan Craft didn't like her." Gordo said.  
  
"Gordo, what do you mean?"  
  
"I just mean that Lizzie's never had to deal with anything BIG. You and me though? We've been through so much shit together, way too much shit if you ask me."  
  
Miranda nodded. "I know what you mean."  
  
"I dunno if I could deal without having you around to go through it all with me." Gordo said.  
  
"Same." Miranda said. They were silent for a few minutes, then Gordo hopped off the bed.   
  
"I'm starving, let's go raid the fridge." he said.  
  
"Okay." Miranda said. She followed him down the steps.   
  
He was such a sweetheart. So deep. So smart. So goodlooking. He was kind, mature, thought provoking, loyal to the end. And he had just told her he didn't know what he would do without her! She smiled, biting her bottom lip. Then she frowned. Gordo thought of her as a friend, nothing more.  
  
Why couldn't it be more? 


	3. Chapter Three: Without You

Chapter 3: Without You  
  
"David Zephyr Gordon!" Roberta Gordon's voice came echoing up the stairs.  
  
"Uh oh." Gordo said, shooting a look at Miranda.  
  
"Open this door!" Gordo's mother said, banging on the door.  
  
Gordo and Miranda looked at each other, and then Miranda practically dove headfirst into Gordo's closet.  
  
Gordo shut the closet door and then opened his bedroom door. "Something wrong?"  
  
"The police are here, along with Edward Sanchez. They'd like to speak to you."  
  
"Oh...really? I guess this is about Miranda?"  
  
"Of course. You don't know anything do you?" Roberta asked, looking her son in the eye.  
  
Yikes. The shrink glare. Gordo hated when she pulled that, it was like some unbreakable retractor beam just pulling him in.  
  
"No, not really. Just what I've heard in the halls." Gordo lied before continuing down the steps.  
  
Roberta watched her son and shook her head. As slick as he thought he was, he still had a lot of learning to do.  
  
"Just one more thing, David."  
  
"Yeah?" Gordo asked, turning around.  
  
Gordo's face flushed as he saw what his mom was holding.   
  
"Is this yours?" she asked, holding up a bra.  
  
***  
  
Gordo and Miranda sat on the couch staring at the floor of the Sanchez house. Gordo's parents and Miranda's parents were in the kitchen talking.  
  
"We are in so much trouble." Miranda said.  
  
"I think we're seriously losing our touch." Gordo said, shaking his head. "We haven't gotten busted like this since...last year."  
  
"We need to really work on our execution." Miranda said.  
  
Just then, their parents came back into the living room.   
  
"Speaking of execution..." Gordo muttered. "Here comes the axe."  
  
"Well, David, Miranda. Where to begin." Edward Sanchez said.  
  
"You two seem to be spending a lot of time together." Howard Gordon said, sitting down across from them.  
  
Oh no. Here comes the psycho babble, Gordo thought.  
  
"Tell me, are you two...dating?"  
  
"No!" Miranda and Gordo said at the same time.   
  
"Not dating. But yet...you spend the night in David's room, and probably in his bed." Roberta said.  
  
Miranda groaned. She SO did not want to see where this is going.  
  
"Miranda, David, don't you think you're a little bit too young to be involved in...sexual relationships?" Howard asked.  
  
Gordo's head snapped up. "Okay, red light! No no no. We're not talking about that. That's an off-limits topic right there!"  
  
"If you're having sexual intercourse you should be able to talk about it." Howard said.  
  
"We are not having sexual intercourse!" Gordo said. Miranda didn't say anything, her face was getting redder and redder by the second. Gordo gave her a smile that seemed to say 'Relax, I'll get this one.' "Look, Miranda was upset about her parents getting a divorce, she needed a place to crash. I slept in the floor, she slept in my bed. That's it."  
  
"Either way, we think that you two are spending way too much time together." Daniella Sanchez spoke up.  
  
Miranda looked up for the first time the conversation had started.  
  
"Mom, what exactly are you saying?"  
  
"You two are forbidden to see each other."  
  
***  
  
"How long has she been crying?" Edward asked as he walked up the steps to see his wife with her ear pressed against Miranda's door.  
  
"Four hours." Daniella said.   
  
"Did we really have to seperate them like that Daniella? They've been friends since kindergarten."  
  
"Edward, it's obvious they are more than friends. She's too young to be getting involved with boys in that way!"  
  
"How do you know they're more than friends?"  
  
"The Gordons are psychiatrists, they would know."  
  
"Daniella they barely know their own son." Edward said. "They don't know the difference between a case file and an actual human being."  
  
"Edward, don't be technical with me."  
  
Edward sighed. "I'm through with being technical. I'm through with being everything."  
  
"Fine." Daniella said.  
  
"If you need me I'll be packing." Edward said, heading to the master bedroom.  
  
Miranda had heard the dialogue between her parents just outside her bedroom door. It only encouraged her to cry even more. Turning her head to look out the window, she gazed out at the black sky. The sun had set awhile ago. She sniffled, wiping her face.   
  
She needed someone to talk to, badly. She didn't want to call Lizzie, she wouldn't understand. In fact, knowing Lizzie, she'd be upset with Miranda at not telling her what had been going on. She sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.  
  
How was she going to be able to get along without Gordo?  
  
Before she could ponder it any further, she heard a rapping at her window. She looked up and her face lit up. Running over to the window, she opened it up.  
  
"Gordo what are you doing here?" she asked to the brown haired boy sitting in the tree next to her window.  
  
"Grab your jacket." Gordo said.   
  
"Where are we going?" Miranda asked.  
  
"I'm guessing you haven't ate yet." Gordo said.  
  
"No. I haven't been in the mood." Miranda said. "What about you?"  
  
"My parents are pulling ancient Chinese starvation torture tactics on me." Gordo said.  
  
"Translation?"  
  
"They sent me to bed without my supper." Gordo said flatly.  
  
"My, how third grade-ish of you." Miranda said.  
  
"Get your jacket, let's go! I'm hungry!"  
  
"Alright." Miranda said. She grabbed her denim jacket and hopped out the window onto the tree. Gordo climbed down first, grabbing Miranda by the waist to help her down. As she turned around, their faces were just a few inches apart.   
  
"I....thanks." Miranda said.  
  
"Don't mention it." Gordo said softly, their eyes still locked. Clearing his throat, he finally broke away from her deep brown eyes. "Okay, let's go."  
  
They took off down the street until they hit downtown.  
  
"Digital Bean?" Miranda asked.  
  
Gordo shook his head. "Not quite. If anyone sees us, we're screwed."  
  
"Good point." Miranda said. "So where are we going?"  
  
Gordo pointed.   
  
"Seville Quarter? Gordo, we're not twenty one! We can't get in there."  
  
"My cousin works there, I told him to hook us up."  
  
"Oh. Okay." Miranda said with a shrug.  
  
They walked into the club/restaraunt and looked around.  
  
"Okay, well, I feel out of place." Miranda said.  
  
"Don't worry about it. We're just...really young looking twenty one year olds."  
  
Miranda laughed. "Yeah, okay."  
  
It was good to know that no matter what could possibly come between her and Gordo, somehow they'd find a way to get around it. 


	4. Chapter Four: Never Enough

Chapter 4: Never Enough  
  
Miranda climbed in her bedroom window around 2 AM. "Oh man. I have to get up in four hours." she muttered, flipping on her lamp. She gasped.  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"Mija! Que usted perdió su mente? Era tan preocupado!" Daniella babbled.  
  
"Mom, speak English!" Miranda said.  
  
"Mija, I have had it with you. First you run away, then I find out you're doing God knows what with that boy and now sneaking out! I can't even trust you anymore! I don't know who you're turning into!"  
  
"Why is it always ME who's turning into something! Look at you! You never talk to dad, you ignore me, and then you forbid me to see my best friend! I think the question is, who are you turning into?"  
  
"That is enough, young lady! I better not catch you having anything to do with that Gordon boy, or you will be in a world of trouble. I will see you in the morning. Now go to bed right now." Daniella said, getting off Miranda's bed.  
  
"Yes ma'am." Miranda mumbled.  
  
Daniella slammed the door and Miranda sat on her bed.   
  
When did life go from bad to worse? When had her parents turned into complete monsters? She hated dealing with all of it. Sighing, she walked into her bathroom and began getting ready for bed. Staring at her reflection, she fought the urge to shatter the mirror. Her gaze drifted over to her razor.   
  
She just couldn't handle it anymore.  
  
The next morning...  
  
"Gordo I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Lizzie said.  
  
"If I would have told you you would have freaked out." Gordo said. "Oh wait, my mistake. You ARE freaking out."  
  
"Gordo, I'm ALLOWED to freak out! And even more to the point you guys have totally screwed up our social life! With the whole being forbidden to see each other thing? Social suicide!"  
  
"Didn't mean to hit you with something deep there, Lizzie." Gordo said with a roll of his eyes.  
  
"Oh what is that supposed to mean?" Lizzie asked, her hands on her hips.  
  
"Nothing. Just...nothing." Gordo said. He looked up. "Hey Miranda!"  
  
"Hey." Miranda said softly. "Hey Lizzie. You're not mad are you?"  
  
Lizzie sighed. "I guess not."  
  
"So what'd I miss yesterday?" Miranda asked as she opened her locker. Gordo looked at her strangely.  
  
"Nothing really. Oh...pop quiz in Science." Lizzie said.  
  
"Yeah...in fact...Lizzie, I think I should go over the Science with Miranda now." Gordo said. "Come on Miranda."  
  
Miranda read Gordo's body language, and so she was hesitant to be alone with him. "No, that's alright, I'll just..."  
  
Gordo grabbed her arm. "I said, come on. We'll see you in gym, Lizzie."  
  
Lizzie gave them a confused look. "Okay...bye guys." She said, leaving.  
  
Gordo hadn't let go of Miranda's arm and walked her down the hallway. Finally, he yanked her around the corner and practically shoved her into the wall.  
  
"What the hell is your problem?" Miranda asked, yanking her arm free.  
  
"What the hell is THIS?" Gordo asked, pushing her sleeve up and displaying the bandage on her wrist.  
  
Miranda pulled her arm away and glared at him. "None of your business."  
  
"I'm making it my business, Miranda. What'd you do last night?"  
  
Miranda stood there refusing to meet his eyes. The bell rang, and she moved to bolt to class.  
  
Wham! Gordo's hands came down on either side of her head against the wall with a slam, blocking her way out.  
  
"Don't think you're getting out of it that easy, Sanchez." Gordo said. His voice took on a softer tone. "Now, what happened?"  
  
"Gordo...I...I don't know. I just...I can't deal anymore. It's too hard. I just want it all to be over." Miranda sighed, leaning her head against the wall.  
  
"And it will be eventually! You're just going through something right now. But combatting it with this..." he took her wrist in his hand and held it up to her eye level. "That's not the way to go about it."  
  
Miranda sighed. "I know."  
  
"Then why'd you do it?" Gordo asked.  
  
"I just...lost my head for a second I guess." Miranda said.  
  
Gordo sighed, running one hand through his hair. "I understand. Just don't do it again, okay?"  
  
Miranda nodded. "Okay."  
  
They began walking towards the gym, and Gordo looped an arm around her shoulders. "You worry the hell out of me sometimes, you know that?"  
  
"I'm sorry." Miranda said.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Just...next time you have the urge to slice up your wrist...come find me, and I'll talk you down. Okay?"  
  
"Okay." Miranda nodded. She rested her head on his shoulder as they walked down the hallway.   
  
Everything was fine. As long as she had Gordo around, everything would be fine. Except everytime he was around, she felt a little pang in her heart, because she wanted more.   
  
No matter how much he gave her, it would never be enough. Until she had it all.   
  
Later...  
  
"Miranda, I am not lying to mom so you guys can hang out." Lizzie said.  
  
"Lizzie! I'll never see him outside school unless you do!" Miranda whined as they sat on Lizzie's bed doing their nails.  
  
"I don't know why this is so important to you, I mean, it's Gordo. It's not like he's your boyfriend....wait. Is he?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"No, he's not my boyfriend." Miranda replied. If only...  
  
"Gee, don't sound so excited about it." Lizzie said sarcastically. "If I didn't know better, I'd say..."  
  
"How about you don't say, and let's just move on?" Miranda snapped.  
  
Lizzie looked at her best friend in wonder. "You like him!"  
  
"Uh, no I don't."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Right. Tell me another one."  
  
"I don't!" Miranda lied.  
  
"Then why have you guys been spending so much time together?"  
  
"We've both been going through some stuff." Miranda said.  
  
"So? So have I! I mean, word got out about my date with Ethan this weekend, and now Kate wants to make my life miserable. Like that's so much of a challenge."  
  
Miranda sighed. She loved Lizzie to death, she really did, but the girl could be so dense sometimes.  
  
Just then, Jo McGuire poked her head in the door. "Girls, Gordo's here. Want me to send him up?"  
  
Miranda shot a pleading look at Lizzie.   
  
"Uh, sure, mom. Thanks." Lizzie said.  
  
"Hey guys." Gordo said. "What's up?"  
  
"Well, you're not supposed to be in the same vicinity of Miranda, for one thing." Lizzie said.  
  
Miranda and Gordo both looked at her, their eyebrows raised.  
  
"And your point?" Gordo asked.  
  
"You're not even going to listen to your parents?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Gordo sighed and fell down on the bed, landing between Lizzie and Miranda. "Lizzie, the last time I actually listened to my parents I was still learning to color inside the lines."  
  
"So last week, then?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Hey!" Gordo poked her in the ribs. "You know what I mean."  
  
"That's ditto for me." Miranda said.   
  
"You guys are gonna get in a world of trouble when you get caught though."  
  
"Well, my dad's up to his ears in this new family he's counseling. Five psychopaths under one roof."  
  
"Hmmm. Sounds like Christmas at the Sanchez house." Miranda said. Gordo gave her a Look, and continued.  
  
"Anyway, so he's busy with that, and my mom's the shrink on some court case in LA where some freak murdered, and then had his way with an entire truck full of...get this...chickens." Gordo said.  
  
"Ew!!!" Lizzie and Miranda said.   
  
"TMI, Gordo." Lizzie said.  
  
"And since my parents are too busy fighting over who gets what in the house, they're not really going to notice me much." Miranda said.  
  
"So basically we can do whatever we feel like, and not get into trouble." Gordo finished. "As far as I'm concerned, the ban has been lifted."  
  
"And I agree." Miranda said with a shrug.   
  
"Well....okay." Lizzie said, in no mood to argue. "So...movies?" 


	5. Chapter Five: Guys Have Problems Too

Chapter Five: Guys Have Problems, Too  
  
"What do you guys think of Maria de Menoudos?" Gordo asked suddenly while he, Miranda, and Lizzie were eating lunch.  
  
"That hispanic girl?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"The one with the huge...." Miranda started, but Gordo shot her a Look. "Err..eyes?"  
  
"Yeah. You guys know her?"  
  
"She just broke up with Danny Kessler like two weeks ago. She has an older brother named Jose' who's like a total hottie, and in fifth grade the boys in class started a rumor that it was common knowledge she wore a 40DD." Lizzie remarked. "Even though it was more a like a 32B."  
  
"Yeah, at least back then." Miranda said with a roll of her eyes. "Why are you asking us, Gordo?"  
  
"Ohhh I know why!" Lizzie said. "You like her!"  
  
Gordo blushed slightly. "I do not." he mumbled.   
  
"Aww...look at Gordy blushing!" Lizzie laughed.  
  
"Okay, I know you did not just call me GORDY!" Gordo said. Lizzie shrugged and smiled. "You're awful." Gordo remarked. "Anyway, so I was thinking about asking her out."  
  
"Gordo...I heard she got around." Miranda said suddenly. Lizzie's head shot up to look at Miranda. Everyone in school new that Maria was about as fast as a turtle on ice. So why was Miranda lying?  
  
"Really?" Gordo's brow furrowed.   
  
"Yeah. I don't think she's the type of girl you wanna get involved with." Miranda said.  
  
Gordo shrugged. "Oh well. Oh, I need to go talk to Mr. Pettus about my Science paper, I'll see you guys later."  
  
"Bye Gordo." Lizzie and Miranda said. After he was out of earshot, Lizzie glared at Miranda.  
  
"What?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Why would you lie to Gordo about that girl?"  
  
Miranda shrugged. "I just think he can do better."  
  
"You DO like him! Admit it!"  
  
Miranda sighed. "And what if I do?"  
  
"Just tell him!"  
  
"Why? It's not like he likes me back!" Miranda said.  
  
"Miranda, you don't know that for sure. And I mean, as much time as you two spend together, and the fact that he let you sleep in his bed while he slept on the floor, if he did like you, I wouldn't be surprised." Lizzie said.   
  
"Please. Gordo doesn't want me. He wants..." she made a face. "Maria de Menoudos." she said in fake Spanish accent.  
  
"Miranda, except for the...chest area...you and Maria don't look all that different. Both of you are Mexican, black hair, brown eyes...I mean, you guys could practically be sisters." Lizzie said.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So you don't think maybe Gordo's making a substitution?" Lizzie asked with her eyebrows raised.  
  
Miranda turned around and looked at Gordo, who was currently talking to Mr. Pettus. "You think?"  
  
"Go for it." Lizzie said.  
  
"Maybe I will." Miranda said. Just gotta get the guts to do it first, she added silently.  
  
***  
  
Gordo was getting ready to climb into bed when he heard a tap at his window. He looked and saw Miranda waving at him. He shook his head and walked over to the window to open it.  
  
"You climbed up the lattice, didn't you?" Gordo asked as he helped her through the window.  
  
"Basically." Miranda said.   
  
"Another fight with your parents?" Gordo asked.  
  
"No, I...uh...." Miranda was at a loss for words. She just kept staring at Gordo.  
  
"What's wrong? Why are you....oh." Gordo said as he looked down. He'd forgotten he was only wearing boxers. He picked his jeans off the floor and pulled them on.  
  
"Gordo...do you work out?" Miranda asked. She couldn't stop herself from lightly running her fingers across his abs, feeling the muscles tighten under her fingertips.   
  
"A little bit...why?" Gordo asked. He let out a shaky breath as she touched him.  
  
"Looks good." Miranda murmured.  
  
"Thanks." Gordo said. "So what's up?"  
  
"I just...was lonely." Miranda said. Gordo nodded. Sitting down on the bed, he motioned for her to sit down next to him.  
  
"Couldn't sleep?" Gordo asked.  
  
"No. Too much stuff on my mind." Miranda replied.   
  
Gordo laid back on his bed and sighed. "I know what you mean."  
  
Miranda laid down next to him, rolling over on her side so she could see his face. "Gordo, I know that you go through as much shit as I do, but we never talk about what's bothering you. So what's up?"  
  
"Miranda, I'm fine. Okay? Don't worry about me, you've got way too much stuff on your mind to be worrying about me." Gordo replied.  
  
"Gordo, that's not true! I'm never too busy...or too fucked up...to not worry about you. As much as you worry about me, I should be allowed to worry about you every now and then." Miranda said.  
  
Gordo sighed and stretched. "I guess you're right."  
  
"So, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." Gordo lied. "Nothing, I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm cool." Gordo said. "God, would you look? It's past midnight already."  
  
"Wow. Sorry, if I'm keeping you up I can leave..." Miranda said.  
  
"No, it's cool." Gordo said. "We can always sleep in late on Saturday."  
  
"God, that's right. I forgot tomorrow's Friday." Miranda said, yawning.  
  
"You look like you could deal with falling asleep now." Gordo said.   
  
Miranda laid her head on his shoulder. "No, I'm fine."  
  
Gordo sighed. "You wanna stay here tonight?"  
  
"Can I?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll set my alarm an hour early so you can take off before my parents wake up."  
  
"Thanks, Gordo."  
  
"No problem."   
  
"Gordo, you don't have to sleep on the floor tonight."  
  
"Are you saying you wanna sleep on the floor?"  
  
"No, I'm saying we could...share. If you wanted." Miranda said.  
  
Gordo sighed and sat up. "Miranda, I don't think that's such a good idea."  
  
"Oh." Miranda said softly. She felt like crying. Was this Gordo's way of telling her he didn't want her?  
  
"Miranda, it's just..."  
  
"No, you don't need to explain." Miranda said. "In fact, I think I should go. I just think maybe I should try sleeping in my own bed. Haven't really done that in a week you know."  
  
"Miranda, you don't have to..."  
  
"I know." Miranda said. She grabbed her jacket and pulled it back on, heading to the window. "I'll see you in school, Gordo."  
  
"Bye." Gordo said. Gordo sighed and fell back on the bed.  
  
How do you tell your best friend that you didn't want to share a bed with her, because you were afraid you couldn't control yourself? Gordo's heart had practically been in his throat after Miranda had touched him the first time. He felt pathetic. All that because a girl had touched his stomach.  
  
And not just any girl, Miranda! He hadn't really even thought of her in that way up until a few weeks ago. Now, especially now, she was all he could think about. He sighed and got up, looking in the mirror at himself.  
  
"You're pathetic looking, man." Gordo told his reflection. He was barely 5'2, and scrawny. When Miranda had commented on his abs, he almost laughed at her. He looked down at himself and sneered. His chest was practically concave.   
  
Tomorrow he would eat. Work out like usual, but he'd eat. Maybe that's why he didn't have any muscle in his chest yet. But if he ate then it'd all go back to his stomach. And those abs Miranda had commented on would be gone. He sighed. Eating was a problem. Food was a problem. Keeping the food down after he ate it was a problem.   
  
He knew he had to eat tomorrow though, and keep it down. As much as he hated to do it. His parents were already a little suspicious of him, if he passed out or something, it wouldn't get them off his back any easier.   
  
He had felt bad about lying to Miranda when she had asked what was bothering him, but he knew he had to. A fourteen year old boy with an eating disorder. Right. That was something cool. As if he wasn't enough of a freak already, if that got out he'd really be screwed.  
  
Gordo held his hands up in defeat in an effort to sheild his eyes from the mirror. He just needed to stop thinking about it, stop looking at himself. Just for the night. He needed to sleep. Just for a little while. It made him feel lazy, but he was already behind in his studies as it was, falling asleep during class wouldn't help improve his grades any. He had to pull all A's, one B would screw him over for life. It occurred to him that he was still thinking, and he cursed at himself. Slipping his jeans off, he switched off the lamp and crawled into bed. Wishing he hadn't said anything to Miranda, that he had went along with her idea of sharing a bed. It would have been nice. But he just wasn't ready. To know what she really thought of him.   
  
And once what was really going on got out, which he knew it would, he knew her opinion of the normally pulled together Gordo would change forever. 


	6. Chapter Six: Always Gonna Be There

Chapter 6: Always Gonna Be There  
  
"So have you talked to Gordo yet?" Lizzie asked as she was pulling her books for first and second period out of her locker.  
  
"I...no. Not yet." Miranda lied. "I was really tired when I came home so I decided to just chill at my house."  
  
"Oh." Lizzie said. She saw Gordo walking up. "Gordo, hey!"  
  
"Hey Lizzie." Gordo said, unlocking his locker and yanking it open. Lizzie looked at him strangely.  
  
"Gordo, are you okay? You look like hell." Lizzie said. Gordo looked at her in surprise. He knew he must look awful if it actually drove Lizzie to use a swear word.  
  
"Yeah, I uh...had trouble falling asleep last night." Gordo said. That part was true. He had been tossing and turning all night.  
  
"You do look tired. Well, you should try and sleep in tomorrow." Lizzie said.   
  
"I probably will." Gordo lied. Truth be told, he'd be spending his Saturday doing schoolwork and working out.   
  
"Good. Come on guys, we gotta get to class." Lizzie said.  
  
"Gordo, are you sure you're okay?" Miranda asked, concerned.   
  
"No, I'm not okay. I feel like hell." Gordo groaned, leaning against the lockers.  
  
"Are you gonna be alright?" Miranda asked, worried.  
  
Gordo smiled at her. "I'll be fine. But thanks for caring."  
  
"Gordo, I always care." Miranda said. "Come on, we better haul ass before we're late."  
  
"Alright." Gordo said.   
  
As they walked down the hall together, Miranda looked over at him. He didn't look very good. He looked like he would fall over at any second. Still, the deep, thoughtful grey-blue eyes, the messy mop of dark brown curls, the pouty lips. Her heart melted everytime she looked at him. One of her favorite things about him, physically, was his lips. She had been spending many a night just thinking about what it would be like to kiss them.  
  
Too bad she'd never get the chance.  
  
Later...  
  
Gordo pushed his tray away and sighed. He was feeling physically sick after just eating half a sandwich.   
  
"You okay?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Do either one of you have any aspirin?" Gordo asked, holding his head in his hands.  
  
"Here." Miranda said, handing him her bottle of Advil she kept in her purse.  
  
"Thanks." Gordo replied, swallowing three.  
  
"Gordo are you feeling alright?" Miranda asked.  
  
"I'm fine, I just....I'll be right back." Gordo said, getting up. He felt like he was going to lose it at any moment.   
  
"I'll be back." Miranda told Lizzie, getting up. She walked several paces behind Gordo so that he wouldn't see her. He headed down the hallway to the bathroom, shoving the stall door open.   
  
Miranda looked around, and prayed to God no one else would be in the boys' room. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and walked inside. She heard wretching and heaving sounds. "Oh no...Gordo." she whispered. She closed her eyes and sighed. Leaning against the wall opposite to the sinks, she waited.  
  
Gordo flushed the toilet and straightened back up, leaning against the stall wall and sighing. He definitely felt better after that. In a way. He felt guilty, but he didn't feel so sick. He exhaled deeply and unlocked the stall door. Heading over to the sinks, he turned on one faucet and rinsed his mouth out, then splashed water on his face. He stood back up and looked at his reflection. He almost jumped a foot in the air at the sight of Miranda's reflection.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" Gordo asked, turning around.  
  
"I should be asking you the same question. Unfortunately, I already know." Miranda said. "Gordo...what's going on?"  
  
"Nothing." Gordo replied.  
  
"Right. Nothing. Gordo, I heard you." Miranda said. "You've always told me that if I have a problem that I should come to you. Now I'm telling you." she touched his face gently. "I don't know why you're doing this. There's nothing about you I would change. Physically, or otherwise."  
  
"Miranda, look at me."  
  
"I'm looking. What exactly is so wrong with you that you have to throw up everything you eat?"  
  
"Miranda, I'm this short, scrawny kid with no muscles to speak of."  
  
"You're fourteen, Gordo!" Miranda said, exasperated. "You've got a long time before people expect you to have muscles and be all tall and everything."  
  
"I know, but...Miranda, you don't get it."  
  
"Don't get it. Miranda, the original anorexic, doesn't get body image issues."  
  
"All girls go through that, Miranda. Guys don't. But for some reason, I am." Gordo said.  
  
Miranda took Gordo's face in her hands. "Gordo, listen to me. You are fine, alright? You're not too short, not too scrawny. You've got just enough muscle, and you're very goodlooking, okay?"  
  
"You think I'm goodlooking?" Gordo asked.  
  
"Of course I do. I wouldn't lie to you, Gordo."  
  
"You lie to everyone else." Gordo said.  
  
"And so do you." Miranda said. It had always been some kind of an unspoken understanding that while Gordo and Miranda may have lied to everyone else they came into contact with, they rarely lied to each other.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Gordo said. "I'm just fucked up, aren't I?"  
  
Miranda snorted inelegantly. "That makes two of us. Look, just like you're always there for me, I'll always be there for you."  
  
"I know." Gordo said.  
  
"We done in here?" Miranda asked. "I wanna get out of here before someone sees me."  
  
Gordo laughed. "Alright, let's go."  
  
After School...  
  
"Okay, so we're going to see Gangs of New York then?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Definitely...Martin Scorsese is the best." Gordo said.  
  
"What are you guys talking about?" Lizzie asked, walking up.  
  
"Well, while you are out on your date with Ethan tonight, Gordo and I are trying to figure out what we're gonna do." Miranda said.  
  
"Gangs of New York!" Gordo said.  
  
"Alright, alright! Gangs of New York it is!"  
  
"You guys are gonna sneak in?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Naturally." Miranda said. "It's not like we can get in any other way."  
  
"Well, have fun and don't get caught." Lizzie said.  
  
"We won't." Gordo said.  
  
"We're professionals." Miranda laughed.  
  
"Okay. Well, look, I need to get home and get ready. I'll call you guys tomorrow." Lizzie said.  
  
"Bye." they called. Gordo turned to Miranda.  
  
"Well, just you and me then."  
  
"Yup." Miranda smiled.  
  
"Alright, let's go and sneak in before it gets crowded." Gordo said.  
  
"Are we sneaking in without paying or are we paying then sneaking in for a different movie?"  
  
"I don't get my allowance til next week." Gordo said.  
  
"Guess it's sneaking in without paying then." Miranda said.  
  
"You got it." Gordo replied. 


	7. Chapter Seven: Holding Back

Chapter 7: Holding Back  
  
"Best movie I ever saw, I swear to you!" Gordo said as he and Miranda walked out of the movie theatre.  
  
"I thought Pulp Fiction was the best movie you ever saw." Miranda said.  
  
Gordo paused. "Alright, second best. But still! Awesome!"  
  
"Yeah, it was pretty good." Miranda agreed. "What time is it?"  
  
"Eight-ish." Gordo said after glancing at his watch. "Wanna grab a bite to eat?" he rolled his eyes as Miranda shot him a Look. "And I promise I will keep it down this time."  
  
"Okay, good." Miranda said. "Then let's go."  
  
"Digital Bean?" Gordo asked. He and Miranda looked at each other and shook their heads.  
  
"Nope." they both said.  
  
"Somewhere more private?" Gordo asked.  
  
"Yeah." Miranda said.  
  
"Alright, let's go." Gordo said. He took her hand in his and they walked down the streets.  
  
Miranda wanted to die. Gordo was holding her hand! For no reason at all he was holding her hand! She bit her lips to keep herself from grinning like a fool.  
  
"Pizza?" Gordo asked as they stopped in front of a small pizza parlor.  
  
"Fine with me." Miranda said with a shrug.  
  
"Alright." Gordo said. They went inside and got a booth, sitting across from each other.  
  
"So...." Gordo said.  
  
"Yeah...so..." Miranda said.  
  
"Are things going any better at home? We haven't really talked about it much." Gordo asked.  
  
Miranda shrugged, chewing on a breadstick. "Dad's moving out Sunday. Mom's stopped at yelling at him, and started yelling at me."  
  
"Over what?" Gordo asked.  
  
Miranda sighed and rolled her eyes. "Everything. School. My clothes. The way I act." She paused. "You."  
  
"Just...try not to worry about it." Gordo said. "If it gets too intense, you've always got me."  
  
Miranda smiled at him. "I know. And vice versa for you."  
  
***  
  
"Well, I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow." Gordo said as they stood by the tree next to Miranda's window.  
  
"Yeah." Miranda said. 'Come on! Kiss me!' she wanted to scream.  
  
'Come on, man! Kiss her!' Gordo's brain was screaming at him. 'Don't do it. She'll freak out, push you away. She's your friend. Nothing more, nothing less.'  
  
Gordo hesitated for a moment, shifting from foot to foot. "Well...later." Gordo said.   
  
"Yeah, bye." Miranda said. She watched him walk up the street to his own house, and she wanted to bang her head against the oak she was currently leaning against. Maybe she'd had too many garlic breadsticks?  
  
Or maybe she was reading too much into the hand holding thing. It was Gordo, for crying out loud! He'd never think of her that way.  
  
Gordo walked slowly down the road, lit by the overhead street lights and the moon. He scuffed his already permanently scuffed sneakers against the pavement, hands shoved deep in his pockets, head down, brow creased in thought.  
  
She hadn't pulled away when he had held her hand. Or when he put his arm around her in the movies. And she had said he was goodlooking! It had given him a ray of hope, but the more and more he thought about it, the more his hopes were being squashed. This was Miranda. Miranda had crushes on guys like Danny Kessler. Ryan Adams. And...god. Ethan Craft. It made him sick to even think about Ethan. In a way, Ethan was to Gordo as Kate was to Lizzie. Taller, better looking, more popular, better built.  
  
Gordo sighed. He wanted nothing more than to just open up to Miranda and tell her how he really felt. He was sick of holding back.   
  
The Next Day...  
  
"I know you stayed out late last night with David Gordon, Miranda." Daniella Sanchez said without even looking up from her morning paper.  
  
Miranda rolled her eyes and kept staring blankly at the fridge. "Your point?"  
  
"When did you stop respecting me?"  
  
"When you stopped treating me like a human being." Miranda replied.   
  
"Miranda, I am your mother..."  
  
"...and I am the child and I am therefor stupid! I know! I've heard it a thousand times, okay? But guess what? I stopped listening to you when I was ten years old!" Miranda said, glaring at her mother. "Because it never matters what I want, or even what I need anymore!"  
  
"I have had it with you, Miranda!" Daniella yelled, standing up.  
  
"Oh, well then why don't you just finish with me then?" Miranda screamed.  
  
"Will you two calm down?" Edward said, coming into the kitchen.  
  
Daniella glared at him. "You take that one." she said, pointing at Miranda. "I don't want it anymore." She turned and left the room.  
  
Miranda didn't react visibly to her words, but inside, her heart was breaking.  
  
Monday came around, and Miranda dragged herself out of bed and to school. She walked down the hallway to her locker, where Lizzie and Gordo were standing, Lizzie chattering animatedly about her date.  
  
"Miranda! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I didn't call you, but..."  
  
"Lizzie, I'm not in the mood right now." Miranda said flatly.  
  
"But..."  
  
"I SAID I'M NOT IN THE MOOD!" Miranda yelled.   
  
Lizzie gave her a hurt look. "Fine. Just...whatever." she looked at Gordo. "I'm gonna go talk to Ethan, bye Gordo."  
  
"Bye." Gordo said as she walked away. He turned to Miranda. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I don't wanna talk to you right now." Miranda said softly, walking away, leaving Gordo standing in the middle of the hallway staring after her, bewildered.  
  
That stung. She didn't want to talk to him? He sighed and leaned up against the lockers. Perfect. Just perfect.  
  
At lunch, Miranda was nowhere to be found, and Lizzie was off cavorting with Ethan and his people, leaving Gordo by himself. Sighing, he went to search for Miranda.  
  
***  
  
Miranda wiped her eyes as she overlooked the school grounds down below her. She was sitting on the roof, just thinking.  
  
"What are you doing up here?" a voice asked. Miranda turned her head sharply.  
  
"Gordo, just go away. I'm not in the mood right now."  
  
"Not in the mood to what?" Gordo asked as he sat down next to her.  
  
"Talk." Miranda said.  
  
Gordo draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. She sighed and laid her head down on his shoulder. "So we won't talk."  
  
"Thank you." Miranda whispered.  
  
"When you're ready I'll be here though." 


	8. Chapter Eight: After Tonight

[Author's Note: The following chapter contains sexual situations, although they aren't described that vividly. If you have issues with sex, then don't read the chapter! This chapter was in part inspired by "After Tonight" by Mariah Carey...if you don't know what I mean, listen to the song! That is all.]  
  
Chapter 8: After Tonight  
  
Miranda walked into the house, expecting to be alone. Her mother had left Sunday with Miranda's baby sister, no doubt going to Miranda's grandmother's house.   
  
She had spent the afternoon at Gordo's of course, turning themselves into zombies by watching television. It was seven o'clock by the time Miranda had left his house, and had gotten inside her own house just as it started to rain. In fact, it had started to pour.   
  
"Querido is that you?"   
  
"Dad, what are you doing home?" Miranda asked as she walked into the living room.  
  
"Mi jita, I have some great news!" Edward said.  
  
"What's that?" Miranda asked.  
  
"I got a job offer!" Edward said. "Bigger, and better, with more money!"  
  
"Dad, that's great."  
  
"Querido, sit down. There's something else I have to tell you."  
  
"Okay..." Miranda looked at her father strangely, but sat down on the couch just the same.  
  
"We'd have to move."  
  
"Across town? But Dad, I have to go to school with my friends! I can't just..."  
  
"Mi jita, it's not in town."  
  
"It's not?" Miranda asked, her heart fearing the worst. "Then where...Daddy. No. Please."   
  
"It's in Mexico City." Edward finished, preparing for the explosion.  
  
"No! I'm not going! No! I can't leave my friends! I can't leave California! I barely even speak Spanish!"  
  
"Querido, you'll get used to it, and..."  
  
"Get used to it? I don't want to get used to it! I wanna stay here!" Miranda yelled.   
  
"Well you're not going to, Miranda! This is as much about me as it is you!"  
  
"I'm not going!" Miranda screamed.  
  
"You don't have a choice in the manner!" Edward said.  
  
"I hate you!" Miranda screamed. She turned and ran up the steps and into her room, slamming the door shut. She slid down the length of the door, sobbing.   
  
She couldn't leave California. She couldn't leave Hillridge. Her friends! Lizzie! Gordo!  
  
"Gordo..." she whispered sadly.  
  
She started crying all over again. Standing up, she went into her bathroom and grabbed her razor. One swipe. Two. Three. She winced as the blade severed her skin, blood trickling in a thin line down her arm.   
  
She cried it frustration and threw the razor against the mirror. It wasn't helping. The physical pain wasn't taking over the emotional pain. Not enough.   
  
She walked over to her window, opened it, and climbed out.   
  
Gordo jumped in surprise when he heard the tap at his window. He looked over and rolled his eyes. Making his way across the room, he opened the window.  
  
"Have you lost your mind? It's storming out! You could catch pnuemonia! You could get struck by lightning!" he scolded the soaked Miranda. "You could have fallen off the lattice and broken your neck!"  
  
"Gordo..." she sobbed.   
  
Gordo's temperment changed pretty quickly when he saw how she was crying. Miranda had NEVER cried like this before. The desperation, the pain, her heart shattering, all was evident in her eyes. Gordo grabbed her forearms and helped pull her into his bedroom.   
  
"Jesus Christ, Miranda! What did you do?" Gordo asked, turning her wrist over to examine the torn and cut skin.  
  
"It didn't work...I...I tried...it didn't...I couldn't stop..." Miranda said, her crying and breathing coming in short gasps.  
  
"Shhh....Miranda...shhh." Gordo pulled her against him in an effort to calm her down. She was thoroughly soaked to the bone and shivering, her teeth chattering.  
  
"Come on. I need to bandage this up." Gordo said.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Miranda was sitting on Gordo's bathroom counter in one of his sweatshirts and a pair of his sweatpants with her sopping wet hair pulled back with a rubber band.   
  
"Ow...that stings." Miranda complained as Gordo put ointment on her wrist.  
  
"Well, you shouldn't have gone all Ginsu chef on your arm then, right?" Gordo replied. He bandaged the wound up tightly. "Okay, all done."  
  
"Thanks." Miranda said, getting off the counter. She walked back into Gordo's room and turned on the stereo. "After Tonight" by Mariah Carey was on.   
  
"Now, you ready to tell me what's up?"  
  
Miranda sighed, her eyes threatening to spill over. "My dad's moving to Mexico City."  
  
"Miranda, that's not the end of the world, you'll still see him on holidays and..."  
  
"He's making me go with him, Gordo!" Miranda yelled, bursting into tears again.  
  
"What? No!" Gordo said. "Hell no! You can't just leave like that!"  
  
"I don't have a choice, Gordo!" Miranda said. She sighed. "We've finally found it."  
  
"Found what?" Gordo asked.  
  
"The one thing we couldn't con our way out of." Miranda replied.  
  
Gordo sighed and pulled her to him. They hugged each other tightly, desperate to feel closer to one another.  
  
"Miranda, you can't leave." Gordo said into her neck. "I love you." the last part came out in a choked sob.  
  
"I love you, Gordo." Miranda said. "So so much." Without a moment's hesitation, she kissed the skin of his neck softly.   
  
Gordo pulled away and stared at her, their eyes locked. He ran his hand down the side of her face, through her hair. Then, finally, mustering up the courage, he moved forward and kissed her.   
  
This wasn't how their first kiss was supposed to be, Miranda thought. She wasn't supposed to be crying, and neither was Gordo. It was supposed to be like a fairytale! But the important thing was they were there together.   
  
Neither one of them were thinking, just acting. Acting on the pain they were both feeling, and out of frustration. Frustration from pining over each other for so long, and only now being able to take the plunge.   
  
Gordo had one hand at the back of her head, tangled in her long black hair, to hold her head for his hungry onslaught. Miranda's hands cupped his face, flowing down the sensitive skin at the back of his neck, and finally gripping his shoulders. Finally, she let go of him and pulled away.  
  
"Wha..." Gordo started as she went to the door. He watched as she locked his bedroom door, then came back to him. She kissed him, and grabbed his shirt at the hem and lifted it up and over his head.   
  
Gordo shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He needed to remind Miranda of repurcussions and what would happen tomorrow if this progressed any further.  
  
"Miranda...do you know what we're getting into?" Gordo asked.  
  
Miranda nodded. "I do."  
  
"You're sure? Because you know, once we do this, there's no turning back. And once I get started, I'm not going to want to stop." Gordo said.  
  
"I don't want you stop." Miranda said. "Gordo, you've been my best friend since kindergarten. I want more. I NEED more." she paused, and kissed him. "I need you. I love you."  
  
Gordo said nothing, just took her by her hand and walked her over to his bed. A bed he had spent so many nights alone in, and now things would be totally different.  
  
"Gordo?" Miranda said.  
  
"Yeah?" Gordo asked as he dimmed his bedside lamp.  
  
"You're not sleeping on the floor tonight." Miranda said before pulling him to her.  
  
***  
  
Gordo slowly awoke and became aware of his surroundings. He had been roused from his sleep by the fluttery sensations on his neck. He smiled, remembering the previous night's events. Miranda slept soundly in his arms, her head tucked under his chin and her nose pressed agasint his neck, her warm breath tickling his flesh.  
  
He frowned suddenly. He'd finally gotten to be with Miranda, and now she was moving away. Away from him. It wasn't fair. Sighing, he looked at the clock on his nightstand. 8:30 AM. He was surprised his parents hadn't already woken him up. He looked down at his bedmate. He'd better wake her up.  
  
"Miranda." Gordo whispered. He kissed her shoulder gently. "Wake up."  
  
"Don't wanna." she mumbled against his neck. "Wanna stay with you."  
  
Gordo smiled. "I want you to stay with me too."  
  
Miranda cuddled against him further. "I'm cold."  
  
Gordo chuckled and stroked her bare back, his fingers playing with her hair. "Well maybe if you weren't naked you wouldn't be cold, huh?"  
  
"I don't wanna get up."  
  
Gordo stretched lazily. "We have to, you don't want my parents bustin' us, do you?"  
  
Miranda sighed. "No."  
  
Gordo sat up. "Where'd my clothes go?"  
  
Miranda sat up too, covering herself with the sheet. "I think your boxers landed over there somewhere." she said.   
  
Gordo sighed and laid back down. "Dammit. I'm not getting up then."  
  
"Can you at least hand me my bra?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Where'd it go?"   
  
"Lampshade." Miranda replied. Gordo handed it to her, and she retrieved her underwear. Slipping them on, she got out of bed and walked across the room, tossing Gordo his boxers. She grabbed her other clothes and pulled them on.  
  
"Come here." Gordo said, patting the bed next to him. Miranda laid down next to him and he wrapped his arm around her. "You okay with what happened?"  
  
"Yea." Miranda said. "How about you?"  
  
Gordo kissed her temple softly. "I'm better than okay."   
  
"Yeah?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Definitely." Gordo replied.   
  
"David! Are you up yet?" Gordo's mom's voice sounded through the door. It was followed by a knock. Gordo and Miranda looked at each other in panic.  
  
"Shit!" Gordo said. "Uh...yeah, mom, getting dressed!"  
  
Miranda hopped up and pulled on her sneakers and hurried over to the window. Gordo got up and followed her. Miranda opened the window and had one leg out when Gordo grabbed her shoulder.  
  
"Hey." he said.  
  
"What?" Miranda asked.  
  
Gordo leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Digital Bean later? Around three or so?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"We should probably ask Lizzie to go too, we've kinda been neglecting her lately."  
  
"I'll call her. I'll see you later, Gordo." Miranda said.  
  
"Bye." Gordo replied. Miranda flashed him another dazzling smile, and without another moment's hesitation climbed down the lattice and took off down the street. 


	9. Chapter Nine: Complications

Chapter 9: Complications  
  
"Miranda!" Gordo yelled as Miranda walked down the hall. It was obvious she had no intentions of turning around or even slowing down. "Dammit!" Gordo slammed his fist into his locker angrily. "Ow!"  
  
"Gordo, did you and Miranda have a fight?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Gordo sighed. "No, Lizzie, we didn't. It was something much much worse."  
  
"Worse? Gordo, what can be worse than getting into a fight?" Lizzie asked cluelessly.  
  
Gordo groaned. "If you only knew."  
  
Ever since Saturday night, Miranda had been avoiding Gordo. She hadn't shown up at the Digital Bean, she hadn't answered any of his emails, and she wasn't accepting his instant messages. All of Sunday had been rather daunting to Gordo, and now he was fed up with it.  
  
"So...Miranda told me about her moving." Lizzie said.  
  
"Really." Gordo said.  
  
"Yeah. She's really upset."  
  
"Aren't you?"  
  
"Gordo! Of course I am!" Lizzie said. "But I was thinking..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Maybe we could go to her mom and...you know, plead her case?"  
  
"That's actually a really good idea." Gordo said. "Come on, we're gonna be late for class."  
  
The bell rang for first period, but Miranda was nowhere to be found. Lizzie looked over at Gordo and knew he was mad. His jaw only twitched like that when he was really, really, REALLY pissed off.  
  
Five minutes into the lesson, Gordo's hand shot up.  
  
"Yes Mr. Gordon?" Mr. Pettus asked.  
  
"May I go to the restroom?"  
  
"Alright." Mr. Pettus said.  
  
"Thanks." Gordo stood up and exited the room.  
  
Lizzie knew where he was going, and it wasn't the bathroom. He was going to look for Miranda, and boy, was she in trouble when he found her.  
  
***  
  
Miranda walked down the hallway slowly, just taking it all in. In less than two months she'd be outta here. It was odd. She'd always dreamed of getting out of Hillridge, but now? So much was here she wanted to stay for.  
  
Wham! Miranda found herself with her back against the wall she had just been shoved into. Her eyes met those of the person who had just shoved her into the wall, and he was NOT pleased.  
  
"Just what the hell is your problem?" Gordo growled.   
  
Miranda shoved him away. "Leave me alone, Gordo."  
  
"You can stop singing that song, because I sure as hell don't wanna hear it." Gordo said. "Why are you avoiding me?"  
  
"Gordo..." Miranda. "I think...I think that maybe what we did was...wrong."  
  
"You think it was wrong." Gordo said flatly. "Alright. Thank you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You've just dealt a crushing blow to my ego, but...it's alright. No big." Gordo said. "All I wanna know is why?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why? Why would you start something, and then go through with something, you didn't wanna do? Why would you lead me on?"  
  
"Lead you on...Gordo...I...I'm not following." Miranda said.  
  
"Oh come off it, Miranda! You had to have known how I felt about you! It's obvious!"  
  
"Gordo, I'm just saying...I don't want us to get too attached to each other, before I..."  
  
"Too attached, huh? Well then maybe you shouldn't have come on to me!"  
  
"I did not come on to you, Gordo!"  
  
"Who made the first move? Who locked the door?"  
  
"Gordo, I was hurting! You should have known better!"  
  
"Oh, I should have known better? You don't sit there and kiss on a guy's neck and then...god...tell him you love him, and then expect him to fucking KNOW BETTER, Miranda! Jesus Christ, I...what the hell!" Gordo said.   
  
"Gordo, I'm sorry..."   
  
"Sorry's not good enough, Miranda! And just so you know? I don't believe a word you're saying!"  
  
"You think I'm lying?"  
  
"Yeah, I do." Gordo said. "What we did was NOT wrong, and you know it, Miranda. It couldn't have been more right!"  
  
"That's your own opinion, Gordo." Miranda said. "Now leave me alone."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes in disgust. "Gladly." He looked at her. "If you only wanted us to be friends, you've totally screwed it up. If you're just running away then you're making the biggest mistake of your life." he turned to walk back to class, then turned around again.  
  
"What happened? Did I hurt you?" Gordo asked. Miranda shook her head. "Then what did I do? Tell me how to fix this!"  
  
"You can't. What's done is done. Let's just...forget it."  
  
"Miranda, I can't forget it! God, that was...the best night of my life! I can't just forget about it like it never happened!"  
  
"Can't you try?" Miranda asked. "Gordo, please! I just wanna forget!"  
  
Gordo looked at her in disbelief. "Just forget it." he repeated. "I wish it were that simple, but it's not, alright? I'm not gonna forget it. I never will. And if you do? Then I obviously mean nothing to you, and never have meant anything. I'm out." Gordo turned and walked back to class.  
  
Miranda sighed and leaned against the locker.  
  
Gordo had always been blessed (or cursed, depending on how you looked at it) with the uncanny ability to point out Miranda's mistakes. Here he went again, pointing out her mistakes. She knew she was making a mistake. A big one.  
  
Problem was, she didn't know how to go back.  
  
***  
  
Lizzie looked back and forth between her friends carefully. Miranda was drumming her fingers loudly on the lunch table and eating her salad, refusing to meet Gordo in the eyes. Gordo was chewing on his sandwich and glaring at Miranda. Opposite magnets. Miranda refused to look at him, and he refused to stop looking at her!  
  
Lizzie cleared her throat. "Okay, guys, what is up? Is this about what happened?"  
  
Miranda looked up in horror. "You told her?!? I can't believe you told her!!! Wha...what the...Gordo!"  
  
"For God's sake, I didn't tell her. According to you, there's nothing to tell. It was a mistake, right?" Gordo snapped.  
  
"You guys!" Lizzie said. "Chill! Whatever happened it can't be that bad!"  
  
"If you only knew." Miranda said. "It's bad, Lizzie."  
  
"What? Just tell me."  
  
Miranda shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."  
  
"Obviously neither do you." Gordo said.   
  
"We're not supposed to understand! We're fourteen! We were too young!"  
  
"Fuck, Miranda, it's just a number! And I understood!"  
  
"Gordo, that's because...you're..."  
  
"I'm what? Out with it. What am I?"  
  
"You're not normal." Miranda finished, regretting it the moment it left her lips.  
  
"Maybe not. I'm a freak. I'm just a fucked up brainiac freak! But you know what? I'm better off. Because I know what I want! You obviously don't." Gordo said. He turned to Lizzie. "Lizzie, I need to go to the library, we'll hang out later."  
  
"Bye, Gordo." Lizzie said. She turned to Miranda. "Alright, what was that about?"  
  
Miranda sighed. "Lizzie, I would give anything to be in your shoes right now."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're blissfully clueless." 


	10. Chapter Ten: Insight

Chapter 10: Insight  
  
Miranda tossed and turned over in her bed for what felt like the billioneth time. Rolling over, she looked at the clock and groaned. 3:14 AM. She was having serious issues with falling asleep tonight. She knew why, too.   
  
"Gordo." she sighed. Without thinking about it for a moment longer, she got up and threw on her sneakers, heading to the window.  
  
***  
  
Gordo was still half asleep as he heard what sounded like a rapping on his window. Forcing himself to wake up, he rolled over and looked at the window. Miranda! He leapt out of bed and went over to the window, pulling it open.  
  
"Fancy meeting you here." he said.  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
"Well I sure as hell don't want you hanging out of the window." Gordo replied. Without another word, he helped pull her through the window.  
  
"Note to self, get a ladder." Miranda said, dusting herself off.   
  
"Why are you here?" Gordo asked, looking at her peculiarly.  
  
"I...I came to apologize." Miranda said.  
  
Gordo nodded. "Right. Apologize. Let me guess. Sorry you made a move on me? Sorry you screwed up our friendship?"  
  
Miranda shook her head. "I'm sorry I freaked out."  
  
"Yeah, well, so am I." Gordo said.  
  
"You're still mad." Miranda said.  
  
"Well of course I am, Miranda! I mean...God! Just...God!"  
  
"Gordo, this hasn't been easy on me either!" Miranda yelled.  
  
"Compared to what I've been going through? It's been a freakin' picnic!"  
  
"Gordo, you don't know what's going on inside my head, okay?"  
  
"I have a pretty good idea!" Gordo shot back.  
  
"I was scared!" Miranda stated.  
  
"Scared? Why were you scared?" Gordo asked quizzically.  
  
"Gordo, what happened between us..." Miranda started.  
  
"What happened between us was amazing. Nothing short of amazing. How could that scare you???" Gordo fired back.  
  
"Gordo shut up and let me talk!" Miranda said. "God, always an opinion about everything!"  
  
Gordo harrumphed, crossing his arms over his chest.   
  
"Gordo, you're right. What happened between us was amazing. But god...intense? Yeah. In fact I don't even know if intense is a word I'd use to describe it! Those feelings, didn't they catch you off guard a little? I've never felt anything like that before! Never. I felt like every nerve in my body was going to snap...and it scared me!" Miranda said. She sat down on the bed. "Is it supposed to be like that?"  
  
"From what I've heard, yeah." Gordo said. He sighed, and sat down next to her. "You could have talked to me."  
  
Miranda shook her head. "No I couldn't have. It was something I needed to work out on my own. Gordo, I don't like this. Us being mad at each other I mean. I'm not going to be here much longer."  
  
"I know." Gordo sighed. He pushed her hair back off her face. "I don't want you to leave."  
  
"I don't wanna leave either. But I'm gonna. I have no control over it."  
  
"Have you tried talking to your mom?" Gordo asked. Miranda shook her head no.  
  
"She hates me."  
  
"She's just angry."  
  
"Well she's angry at the wrong person! I didn't cause her marriage to fall apart, you know."  
  
"And no one disputes this!" Gordo replied. "I'm just telling you..."  
  
"I know. I shouldn't take my problems out on you."  
  
They sat there for a minute, silent.   
  
"Look...I guess...I mean...I think that...maybe...we should go back to just being friends." Gordo said.  
  
"Really?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Of course. I mean...can you really see us as a couple? We're best friends." Gordo replied.  
  
"Gordo, do you really mean it or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"  
  
"No, I...I mean it. I do." Gordo lied. "Let's just be friends."  
  
Miranda smiled. "Okay. Back to normal." she hugged him. "Alright, well I'm gonna go back home now that we've got everything sorted out."  
  
"Okay." Gordo replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye." Miranda said. She kissed him on the cheek and then headed to the window, climbing out of it and taking off down the street.  
  
Gordo sighed and fell back on the bed.   
  
**The Next Day**  
  
Gordo nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he knocked on the door of the Hernandez home. Or so he thought. This was the address Miranda's father had given him. The door opened, and Daniella Sanchez appeared.  
  
"David, shouldn't you be in school?" she asked.  
  
Gordo shrugged. "I think I can survive missing one class. Mrs. Sanchez, I came to talk to you about Miranda."  
  
"I thought as much. Come in."   
  
Gordo followed her inside the brick, Spanish style home into the living room, which was adorned with Mexican and Mexican-American style furniture and accents.  
  
"Can I get you something to drink?" Daniella asked.  
  
"No, that's alright."  
  
"Have a seat." Daniella said. Gordo sat on the huge red couch, and Daniella sat down in the wooden chair across from him.  
  
"Mrs. Sanchez, I came to ask you a favor. About Miranda."  
  
"Go on, David."  
  
"Please, Mrs. Sanchez..." Gordo took a deep breath. "I'm begging you, don't make her move with her father to Mexico. Miranda's coming into the age where she NEEDS a mother. Please don't take that away from her. She's at a crossroads right now, and she could go either way...please don't have anything with her going the wrong way."  
  
"David, is this really about Miranda going the wrong way, or is this more about you don't want your girlfriend moving away?" Daniella asked.  
  
"Mrs. Sanchez, I care about your daughter. I do. I think I'm in love with her, even. And I know she has feelings for me. We're close. I know Miranda better than anyone, probably moreso than Miranda knows Miranda. And I know how much this is killing her."  
  
"Are you saying I don't know my own child?" Daniella replied.  
  
"I'm saying if you let her go like this, you never will." Gordo replied.  
  
"David, I think you should get to school." Daniella commented, standing up.  
  
"Yeah, I get the point." Gordo said. "Mrs. Sanchez, you're making a huge mistake here, just letting her go like that. She's your DAUGHTER. If you let her go...you obviously know nothing. She's a great person, she is. You just don't give her the chance to be." He turned and left, letting himself out the front door.  
  
Daniella sat back down, Gordo's words still echoing in her head. How could a fourteen year old be so insightful?   
  
As much as Daniella Sanchez hated to admit it, he was right. 


End file.
